A Plum Christmas Carol
by christibabe
Summary: It's Christmas Eve and Ranger gets bombarded with visits in an attempt to change his attitude about Christmas. Will the visitors be able to get him to see what is right in front of him before it's too late? Or will he be doomed to the solitary life he's chosen?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as Janet's are hers, all other characters are mine. Special thanks to JenRar for her beta skills.**

**A PLUM CHRISTMAS CAROL**

I sat in my office, the letter I'd just received by special messenger in my hands as I stared unseeingly out the window of my office. This was the real reason I wanted to keep Stephanie on the outskirts of my life. The hand holding the envelope shook slightly as my thoughts went to the mission that had changed my life.

Emotions had been stripped raw at the time because I'd just signed the papers allowing Ron to adopt my baby girl. I hadn't wanted to let her go…but Rachel had been right about it being easier for Julie to look on Ron as her father when he would be the father of the twins she'd been expecting. She'd added a rider that it wasn't like I had spent much time with her anyway.

In the end, I'd agreed, with the proviso that Julie would know my family and they would be included in her life as much as possible. Rachel had been reluctant to agree, but she'd done it in the end. I clenched my right hand into a fist as I recalled the check I'd had to write in order to make _that _happen.

When I'd gotten back to my Ranger's unit, there were orders waiting for my team. We were being dropped behind enemy lines, with the goal of taking out a major player in the other team's army. For three weeks, the five of us had lived in hell before we had found the general and I'd taken the shot to end the other man's life. Our troubles were far from over at that point, because somehow, the other team had gotten the information on where we were being picked up. When we'd arrived at the site, we'd walked into an ambush. The whole team had been captured and taken to a nearby camp, where we'd been tortured daily for five more weeks before a Seal Six team had come in and liberated us.

It was during that five weeks that each of us had, at one point or another, made the vow not to get embroiled into a relationship. The group that was holding us was determined to get us to talk and had even stooped to bringing in women and children from a nearby village to torture in front of us as a way of trying to force us to talk. Every time we'd been brought back to our cell, another part of our souls had felt like they were missing because of the dead bodies of the women and children that were piling up.

Each of us had reached our breaking point. When we'd been taken back to our cell, we'd vowed not to let anyone into our lives that could be used against us like these innocents were being used. Each of us knew that, had those bastards gotten hold of someone we loved, we would have told them anything they wanted to know in order to save that person. And in the end, it wouldn't have made a difference because they would have killed them anyway.

It had taken each of us a few weeks to shake off the horror we'd lived through once we'd been rescued and taken back to our unit. We'd given up more than the promise of a future during that time, though. We'd given up on Christmas and all it entailed. It was difficult to get through that time with our sanity still marginally intact. In order to do that, each of us had to ignore the festive mood the rest of the unit was in because it was Christmastime. All we could think about were all the women and children who were no longer alive and the pain and suffering their families were going through this year. And the losses wouldn't just be felt this year, but each year at this same time, because the memories of all that was lost would be fresh in their minds once more.

Just like all those families, each of us would be plagued with memories and tortured with the fact that there had been nothing we could have done to save all those women and children. The memories hadn't faded over time. Nothing got better; in fact, each year, it seemed worse than the year before. I felt like I was the one to feel the brunt of everything. After all, each year, there were new lives to add to the dead. What I was able to hide away throughout the rest of the year wouldn't be denied now.

And not only did I have to live with the memories of those women and children, but the fact that only four members of my team had lived. Three days after our rescue, while the unit was celebrating Christmas Day with a meal and the packages that had arrived from home, Deacon—the youngest member of my team—had walked out into a mine field and tripped an IED. There was nothing left of him to send home to his family.

While the rest of the unit stood somberly, mourning the loss of Deacon, the rest of my team—Jensen, Cambridge, Boone, and I—had turned and made our way to the tent we shared. Boone pulled out a bottle of scotch his family had sent him, and we drank a toast to Deacon for finding a way out of the hell we were in.

Jensen, the man who'd wanted to be a lawyer when he got out of the Army, wrote up a pledge, and we'd all signed it. Each of us had vowed to avoid relationships and to drink a toast to the remaining members each Christmas Day. It was the only acknowledgement we made each year to the day. Jensen was to keep the letter safe, and if he passed away, the letter was to be sent to another member of the team. That continued until there was one remaining member, who received the letter to keep until their death.

Somehow, I think we all figured that day wouldn't be for another fifty years or so. But Cambridge bought it six months after Deacon, and Boone was killed three months after he returned home. The neighborhood gang had been trying to recruit Boone's younger brother, and when Boone had explained to them the error of their ways, the group had taken exception and Boone had been killed in a drive-by, along with the rest of his family.

Jensen had gotten his law degree, and he'd been a damn good criminal attorney. He had the distinction of being the only man to go up against the Russian Mafia and win—even if it was only temporarily. When Jensen had walked out of the courthouse, he'd been gunned down. That had been seven years ago.

That was why I had the letter, which had been delivered to me earlier today. Now I had to decide what to do about it.

A knock on the door brought me back to the present. I slipped the letter into my pocket before calling out, "Enter."

I heard the click of the door being opened, and the scent that reached me had me closing my eyes to savor the fragrance that was uniquely Stephanie. I slammed my blank look in place as I turned to her.

She looked a little paler than usual, and I wondered if something was bothering her. The fire in her eyes seemed to be missing lately as well. She appeared as if she'd burst into tears if anyone said a word to her. "Did you tell them to get rid of my decorations?"

My eyebrow rose. "No. I didn't tell them to get rid of them. I do have a standard order that there are no decorations allowed outside of the men's personal living space, though."

The look on her face crumpled, and she seemed lost. "Why?! There were only a few small things, and they weren't hurting anyone."

I shook my head. "Sorry, Babe. This is one thing I won't budge on."

Tears shimmered in her eyes as I watched her swallow back what she was planning on saying, and then she turned and walked out of the office without another word. It wasn't like her to act like this.

Thinking about her actions over the past few weeks, I frowned. It seemed as if she was less and less like her old self with each passing day.

Before I could think about the matter anymore, Tank strode out of his office and said, "Your next appointment is here. They're in conference room one on the ground floor."

Giving a slight nod of my head to indicate that I'd heard him, I made my way to the stairwell door. Exiting on the first floor, I strode to conference room one, where I was meeting with the company that would be building a home for battered women and children. Each of us had been contributing to the fund over the years, using our own sweat and blood to fund the home, rather than going the quick route and just throwing money at the project.

Entering the room, I greeted the two men who were seated at the table—a father and son construction crew that had been working near the village where we'd been held all those years ago. I'd had both men thoroughly checked and knew they were the right team to use in moving forward with this project.

I shook both their hands. "Hello, gentlemen. I'm Ricardo Carlos Monoso, head of RangeMan Inc. It's a pleasure to have both of you here to discuss this project."

The younger man nodded. His English was faultless, although he had the accent common to his part of the world. "It's a pleasure for us as well, Mr. Manoso. As you know, my name is Miguel, and this is my father Angus. I must say, we were surprised to be chosen for this project. After all, we aren't as big of a company as some others in the region."

My gaze met and held his. "You are trustworthy men, something that can't be said of all of the other construction companies in the area."

The young man bowed his head. "We do what we can for our people. We know what it is to lose loved ones to the monsters in the forest. We made the vow years ago that the deaths of those we loved wouldn't be in vain. We would not let those who killed them win by wallowing in grief. Instead, we choose to live and help others to celebrate life as well."

I felt as if I'd been punched in the gut as I struggled to keep my blank face in place. If these men knew that one of those monsters they spoke of was seated in front of them, I wondered if they'd be as friendly. Somehow, I didn't think so.

I pushed forward the plans for the home that was designed to blend in with the landscape of the area where it would be built. While I waited for them to go over the schematics, I thought about what a home like that would mean to the people there—especially the women and children.

Angus looked up from the blueprint. "We can do. Will take time. Much money. There is danger."

I understood every point Angus Menchacca was making in his broken English. Looking at the two men head on, I said, "I have the money as well as the forces in place that will make this project as safe as possible. As for time, I like the way you work. That's why I chose your company for this project. I can offer to get the supplies to you faster and for them to be safeguarded once they are on site as well."

Miguel's eyes lit up. "That would help immensely. When would you like us to start?"

I took the envelope out of my pocket and pushed it across the table.

Miguel sat forward and picked it up, taking out the contents to read them. His eyes widened in shock. He turned to his father and spoke in their own language for several seconds. When he turned to me, I didn't let on that I'd understood every word. Instead, I accepted his translation without comment.

"I explained your generosity to my father and explained what the contract entails. We had not expected so much profit. It is however, appreciated."

I nodded. "If you have everything, gentleman, I'll have one of my men take you to your hotel room."

Miguel shook his head. "We had not planned to stay. We have our return flight already booked."

I nodded. "I'll have one of my men drive you to the airport, then. Thank you both for coming."

We exited the room, and I nodded to Hal. When he joined us, I said, "I need you to drive the Menchaccas to the Newark airport and make sure they get on their flight."

Hal snapped to attention. "Yes, sir." He tuned to the other two men and smiled slightly. "If you'll follow me, please."

Standing there, I watched as they made their way to the garage. I'd thought getting this project started would help me to be able to sweep the memories under the proverbial rug…but things weren't working out like I'd thought. Instead of feeling a sense of atonement, all I could think about was a pair of beautiful blue eyes that no longer sparkled with life.

Turning to make my way back to the fifth floor, I'd no sooner entered the stairwell, when the sound of bombs going off and gunfire being returned echoed in the shaft. I blinked once, but there was nothing there, even though I was hearing the sounds of battle. Shaking my head to clear it, I ignored the sounds as I took the stairs two at a time.

Stepping through the stairway door onto the fifth floor, I looked around to make sure none of the men were playing games. Everyone was busy in their cubicles. When I noticed Stephanie wasn't at her desk, my gaze swung back for a second look. Frowning, I moved over to where Lester was seated. "Where's Stephanie?"

Lester shook his head as his gaze met mine. "I don't know, man. She came out of your office, grabbed her stuff, and mumbled something about having to finish some last-minute shopping." He gave me a puzzled look as he continued. "Have you noticed how quiet she seems lately? Like all the fire has gone out of her."

Struggling not to show how his words were affecting me, I lifted my shoulder slightly in a shrug. "Maybe she and the cop are fighting again."

Les let out a forceful sigh. "That man isn't right for her. She's in love with you, and we all know it. Why the hell you won't accept that you two would be phenomenal together is beyond me."

My gaze drilled into him. "Drop it."

Lester forcefully swung his chair around so he was looking at his computer.

Leaving him to his work, I continued on to my office. My eyes narrowed as I took in the fact that my chair was turned so the back was facing the door. I never left my chair in that position. Just as I was getting ready to step forward, a small spiral of smoke started drifting up from behind the other side. I was furious that someone had come into my office without permission to begin with, and that anger was increasing by the second at the liberties whoever was sitting there was taking.

Before I could move forward and toss the interloper out of my office, the chair swung around to reveal the only thing there was what looked like a fog centered in the middle of the chair. I felt a cold chill race down my spine.

I pressed my thumb and forefinger gently against my eyes and rubbed, realizing I must be more tired than I'd thought, chocking it up to my eyes playing tricks on me because of the memories of the day.

Moving over to the desk, I sat down and got to work on the projects waiting for my attention.

It was several hours later when the rumbling of my stomach told me how late it had grown while I was involved in finishing up the projects I was working on. I put the files away and logged off the computer before shutting it down. Standing, I stretched. Letting out a sigh, I left the office to make my way up to the penthouse apartment, where I knew Ella would have left me a meal.

The day had been a long one, and I opted for taking the elevator instead of the stairs. My mouth lifted at the corner, and I couldn't help but think it was a good thing that Stephanie wasn't here to see me choosing to ride up in the elevator, rather than taking the two flights of stairs. Of course, once I'd let her into my mind, I couldn't help but remember Lester's words, as well as my own observations when I'd seen her earlier in the day.

When the elevator doors swished open, I stepped out into the alcove outside my apartment. I pressed the fob to unlock the door, but there was no sound to show that the lock had been tripped. Pressing the button again, a moan sounded, as if someone was at death's door. My eyes narrowed as I wondered, _What the fuck?_ Before my eyes, the faces of my four dead friends superimposed themselves on the door to my apartment. My eyes widened and I stepped back, momentarily startled.

Muttering under my breath, "Fuck this shit. Someone's in for a world of hurt when I find out who's playing games."

I took out my lock pick and had the apartment door opened seconds later. When I walked into my home—well, the place that I lived—I tossed the keys into the glass dish I left out for that purpose before striding around the counter into the kitchen. There was a note on the table, and I picked it up to read it.

_Ranger,_

_All the dishes are in the fridge with notes as to how long to put them in the microwave. Enjoy your meal, dear. I do wish you'd change your mind and join us in the cafeteria for Christmas dinner tomorrow. We'd all love for you to be there. _

_Ella_

Opening the fridge, I lifted the lids to see if anything tempted me. The fish and vegetables looked like it would require the least amount of effort, so that's the dish I lifted out. I put it in the microwave, set the temperature and timer to the desired settings, and waited for my meal to heat. When the timer dinged, I carefully removed the dish and sat down at the table to eat my solitary meal.

Emptying the water bottle I'd snagged from the refrigerator, I pushed back from the table and set my dishes in the sink after rinsing them off. Once that was done, I moved into the den and settled on the couch before powering on the TV.

The opening credits of _A Christmas Carol_ started playing. Rolling my eyes, I changed the channels, only to find the same show was playing on that channel, as well. Repeating the procedure several times before giving up in disgust, I turned off the TV and tossed the control onto the coffee table. When the television flicked back on, showing the scene where Scrooge was looking at his doorknocker and seeing the ghost head of his dead partner, Marley, I stood up in order to stride over and pull the damn plug. When the scene continued to roll, I looked around, trying to see if there was some kind of hidden projector or something.

The thought of calling Hector to come up and sweep the apartment was discarded. I had no intention of admitting to the guys that I was seeing things. Moving back over to the sofa, I sank heavily onto the cushion and put my head in my hands.

A voice I hadn't heard in over nine years spoke up, saying, "When are you going to accept that we're here?"

Refusing to make eye contact, I muttered, more to myself than anyone else, "When hell freezes over."

The sound of laughter was loud as not one, but four voices blended in their laughter. Resigned to seeing this through, I lifted my head. There, standing across the room, were partial images of the four men who were members of my first team: Deacon, Jensen, Cambridge, and Boone.

Deacon smiled.

Glaring at him, I motioned to the scene on TV, where Marley was dragging his chain through a wall. "Where are your chains?"

The four of them laughed. It brought back memories of better times…before the horror that was our last mission together.

Jensen shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. Well, only partly. We've been gifted with the opportunity to save you from the same senseless life that we lived. That part is real."

Boone nodded. "Yeah. But we're good guys, so no chains."

Lifting an eyebrow, I waited for them to continue.

Cambridge snorted. "Just tell him like it is." He floated forward to sit on the coffee table. "Ah! That's better. My feet are killing me."

The corner of my mouth lifted as I remembered how he was always saying his feet were killing him. "I don't think you have that problem anymore."

He shrugged. "Nah. But it seemed like something you needed to hear."

Pushing out a sigh, I motioned with resignation to the other three men. "Make yourselves at home. Maybe then you can tell me what's going on here."

Boone floated over and lit on the other end of the sofa. "We were wrong, man."

"How were we wrong?" Although I didn't see how that was possible, I didn't think I was going to get out of listening to them, so we might as well get it over with.

Deacon shrugged. "Our pact. The one we made when we agreed not to let ourselves get mixed up in a relationship."

All four of them nodded. As one, the said, "It's too late for us. Our time has ended. But there is still a chance for you. And there's more at stake than just your happiness on this one. If you don't change, it won't be just yourself you are sentencing to a lifetime of unhappiness."

I shook my head. "We weren't wrong. This is the way it has to be."

Again in unison, they shook their heads. "There is still a chance for you. You'll be visited by three ghosts, the first at one a.m., the second at two a.m., and the third at three a.m. Heed their messages well. Save yourself the anguish of living a life without love."

Darkness descended on the room, as if the power had suddenly gone out. A moment later, the lights returned and I was alone in my apartment, no sign that anyone else had ever been there. I shook my head to clear it.

Deciding to turn in for the night, I stood and made my way into the bedroom. Stripping down, I tossed my clothes into the hamper before pulling on a pair of sweats and climbing into bed. Tomorrow, I was going to have Bobby do some blood tests to make sure someone hadn't slipped me hallucinogens.


	2. The Ghost of Christmas Past

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as Janet's are hers, all other characters are mine. Thanks again to JenRar for her beta skills.**

**The Ghosts of Christmas Past**

The sound of a buzz-saw going off in my head had me opening my eyes. The room was dark, save for a sliver of light from the underside of the door leading to the rest of the apartment. As I lay there, frozen in place, the sound came again. What the hell? I threw off the covers and reached for the Glock on the nightstand. Slowly and carefully, I made my way toward the door and then inched it open. Every light in the apartment beyond my bedroom was lit brightly. The noise seemed to be originating from the sofa in the den, so I made my way there.

I frowned as I saw Stephanie's Grandma Mazur and Sally Sweet sound asleep on my sofa. How the hell had they gotten into my apartment? And why hadn't the men on monitors called to inform me we had a breech in security? Stalking over to the phone, I lifted it, intending to find out the reason. Someone was going to be in a world of hurt over this.

Before I could complete the call, the sofa tilted and both of the bodies lying there tumbled onto the floor. Edna Mazur's eyes opened, looking directly into mine. She moved her dentures around in her mouth for a few seconds before saying, "Now why in the Sam Hill did you want to go and do something like that for?"

My eyes narrowed. "I didn't do anything. However, I'm sure the police would be interested to know how the two of you came to be in my apartment."

Sally sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Nobody said we were going to fucking get our brains scrambled. We've been had, Edna."

I got a funny feeling when Mrs. Mazur's eyes glazed over while she was looking at me, and when she licked her lips, that feeling magnified tenfold. A slight chill permeated the room, and for the first time in my life, the fact that I was shirtless bothered me. I pointed to the two interlopers and demanded, "Don't move. I'll be right back."

After making my way to my bedroom, I donned a black T-shirt, then hesitated. Deciding that wasn't protection enough against Stephanie's granny, I added my black leather jacket as well. Let's see her undress me with her eyes now. I shuddered as I turned to go back out to the den, where they were still seated on the floor where I'd left them. Good. At least they were capable of following orders.

Narrowing my eyes on them once again, I asked, "What's going on here, and how did you two get into my secure building?"

Sally rubbed his hand in his hair, messing up the already snarly mop. "Some dude named Diesel. Fucking threw me outta bed and told me I needed to chaperone for Steph's grandma. I have to fucking uphold her honor."

Shuddering again at the thought of why her virtue might be considered at risk, I shook my head. "You might as well get up off the floor. I don't know how you got past my security…"

Edna scrambled to her feet and stalked over to me, her hands on her hips. I fought to keep the smile off my face as she reminded me of Stephanie when she was mad. Mrs. Mazur gave me one of those 'Burg-girl glares Stephanie was notorious for, and then the old lady reached out with her hand and used her open palm to hit the back of my head.

I fought to keep my blank look in place as Sweet's eyes widened. "She fucking Gibbs-slapped you."

One eye narrowed as I contemplated what to do with these two. Before I could make the decision, the two floated up into the air right in front of me. Sally was doing a fish impression, but Steph's grandma looked as if she floated in the air every day.

She held out her small bony hand. "Time's a'wastin'. We got lots to see tonight and only an hour to do it in. Take hold of my hand, and let's get to it."

Shaking my head, I took her hand, if only to show them we weren't going anywhere, tonight or any other night.

The room got foggy, and I was unable to see anything. Only the feel of Mrs. Mazur's hand holding mine indicated that I wasn't alone. When the fog cleared, we were in the jungle a world away from Trenton, New Jersey. I knew what we were going to see; I recognized the building where we'd been held for all those weeks.

I turned to block Edna from entering. My gaze was solemn as I said, "No. This is not for your eyes."

The woman before me nodded. "All right. You go in with Sally, and I'll stay out here. But I already know what's in that room. This is the past, sonny. It's written in the cards."

My gaze was steady on her.

She released my hand and waved me off. "Go on with you, then. You and Sally go in and take a peek. This is where it began for you."

I scanned the area. Although I knew it was a scene from the past, I needed to make sure she would be safe while she was out of my sight. I would hate to have to explain to Stephanie that something terrible had happened to her granny and that it was my fault.

She looked at me with compassion as she laid a hand on my forearm. "I'm safe here. Not to worry."

I frowned as I wondered how she seemed to know what I was thinking. Giving a nod, I walked with Sweet through the doorway into another world. It was weird, seeing my younger self in that dank room. We stood, watching the five young men take their oath never to let anyone mean enough to them that someone could use them as a pawn against them.

We seemed so young…but we were old beyond our years.

Sweet shook his head. "That's fucking sad, man. Didn't none of you ever change your fucking minds?"

Hesitating as an image of Stephanie came to my mind, without taking my eyes off the scene unfolding before me, I shook my head. "No. None of us ever got into a relationship."

From the corner of my eye, I saw him shaking his own head. "Fucking sad is what it is. Stephanie never had a chance."

My eyes narrowed on him.

Before I could say anything else, he motioned to the door. "We need to go through there. You didn't want Edna to see this… What's through there is worse."

We walked through the door, and I recognized the men who'd taken us prisoner and tortured us all those years ago. They had another group of soldiers in the room with them, as well as a group of women and children. I didn't want to see this and started to turn away.

Sweet held up a hand, giving me a solemn look. "Won't do no fucking good. We've gone six months into the past from when you were being held. This is what happened to the group before you."

Fists clenching, I gritted my teeth and turned back to the general who had taken such delight in torturing the five of us…but what he'd seemed to enjoy even more was what he'd done to the women and children.

As I was forced to watch, he stepped forward. "Tell me what I want to know, Captain, or I assure you, I will take great pleasure in showing you what I like to do when I get angry."

Bile rose in my throat as I recalled the same words being used on us.

The captain shook his head. "There's nothing I can tell you."

The general motioned with his hand, and one of the women was brought forward and stripped of her clothing.

I made a move toward the monster, but my hand passed through him. "No!" I turned on Sweet. "I won't watch! Not again!"

There were tears running down Sweet's face. "How did you fucking survive this shit?"

Turning my back on what was happening behind me, I simply said, "The jury's still out on that one."

The tortured voice of the captain had me turning. "All right. Let them go. I'll tell you everything you want to know. Just let them go. Shit. They're women and children."

The general smiled. "Talk."

I stood there listening to the captain telling him all about my unit and where we would be positioned. He gave us up to save the women and children. Even though my team hadn't caved, I knew that the other four wouldn't mind that we'd been sacrificed to save these women and children. But then…the monster showed what kind of creature he really was. Right there in front of the captain and his men, his men raped and murdered every one of the women and children from the village.

When they were dead on the floor, the general turned to his men. "Kill the rest of the village and burn it to the ground. They are of no further use to me. I have all I can get from these men."

The captain struggled to stand, screaming, "No!"

Smiling, the general shot him between the eyes.

I turned back to Sweet. He was shaking his head once again. "He gave you up for fucking nothing. Is that what the general did to the village where you were being held?"

I shook my head. "When we were liberated, the village was rescued at the same time. Although several of the women and children had been murdered, most of them were okay."

"Fucking lucky for them that you five were strong enough not to cave."

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions from showing. I wasn't sure how lucky they were. When I thought of the losses they had taken…

Moving through a side door, I was surprised when we ended up back outside, where Edna was still standing. She smiled. "Are we ready to move this show along?"

Sally chuckled. "I like working with you, Granny. You fucking rock!"

Steph's granny worked her dentures for a minute before giving Sweet a big smile. "You two aren't slouches yourselves." She jerked her thumb at me. "And this one's got an impressive package. He should make some beautiful babies."

My thoughts went to my daughter. I hadn't seen her since the incident with Scrog. Rachel had asked me down several times, but I'd found reasons to postpone what I knew was coming. I was looking for her to ask me to stay away from my baby completely, but I didn't have the strength just yet to do that. As long as I avoided it, I wouldn't have to make the promise.

The sting of someone pinching the skin of my arm between two fingernails got my attention, and I turned back to see Mrs. Mazur glaring my way once again. Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "What?"

She shrugged. "You looked like you were a million miles away, and I need you to focus on your surroundings. We only got one shot at this, and I'm not letting you put a damper on it."

Giving her a mocking bow, I waved my hand in a gesture, as if to say, "Lead on."

Once again, she used the flat of her hand to hit the back of my head in what Sweet had referred to as a Gibbs-smack. Narrowing my eyes, I gave her a look that would have lesser men wetting their pants. She merely smiled and sent me a finger wave, like Stephanie always used.

My voice in a deadly soft whisper, I warned her of the danger she was placing herself in. "Careful. Stephanie would hate it if I shipped you off to Uzbekistan."

Mrs. Mazur looked crushed. "You'd actually send a little old lady to a third world country?"

Raising an eyebrow, I replied, "I would if she hits the back of my head once more."

She snorted as she held out her hand. "Take hold."

Reluctantly, I took her hand once again as the world around us turned into a fog. It didn't even feel as if we were moving, but when the fog cleared, we were in Stephanie's apartment. Instantly, I knew what would happen next. The door opened and I watched myself walking into the apartment, my eyes focused on Stephanie. I'd known what was going to happen, and I'd been ready for it. Watching from my vantage point, I saw things this time around that I hadn't noticed when it happened. The look of fear and pain on Stephanie's face made my chest hurt, and all I wanted was to take her in my arms and comfort her, telling her that everything would be all right.

Morelli was the one doing that, though, after my body had been placed on a stretcher and the EMTs were taking me out of the apartment.

And the look on Julie's face… I'd give everything I owned to take back those moments so that she wouldn't have had to pull that trigger, even though in doing so, she saved my life.

Turning away from the scene, my eyes burned as I looked at the two who were responsible for dragging me here and dragging all this up again. Why? I didn't see the purpose. I drilled Sweet with a look as I voiced what I was thinking. "What's the reason for all this?"

Sally shook his head. "It's all there on their faces, man. They fucking love you."

"I know that. But what good does it do to bring all this up when it won't change anything? My life still doesn't lend itself to relationships. I made that vow, and I will keep it. I'm not giving the monsters of the world a weapon to use against me."

The sting of Mrs. Mazur's fingers pinching my arm had me hissing in a breath. I whirled on her, and she jumped back, landing in Sweet's arms like a bride being carried over the threshold.

"What was that for?"

Sweet was trying to set her on the ground, and she was working equally hard to stay in his arms. She said, "Well, you said I couldn't Gibbs-smack you, but you didn't say nothing about pinching."

Smiling, more like a shark scenting its prey than for pleasantries, I told her, "To clarify, if you touch me and it causes pain, that third world country will be a definite possibility."

She looked up at Sweet and said, "He sure is a feisty one. Sure hope this works, because we need some of his blood in this family."

I growled. Turning away, I demanded, "Let's leave this place. There's nothing here for me to see."

Edna shook her head. "There is. Watch. And open your freaking eyes for once, sonny."

Frustrated, pissed, and a host of other emotions I was fighting to keep at bay, I turned.

Stephanie was looking at Joe. The look in her eyes seemed sad. "I love you, you know?"

I felt as if I'd taken a dagger right to the heart.

Morelli looked thrilled. "I know."

As they walked away, she turned, her eyes going to the spot on the floor where my blood was still evident. Her mouth moved, even though there was no sound coming from it, and I heard her words as if she'd said them loud and clear. _"But I love Ranger more."_

Unaware of what I was doing, I moved toward her, my hand reaching out as if to touch her, but as I caught her hand, mine passed through it. I welcomed the pain as my nails bit into my palms, and I closed my eyes, struggling for control. When I had myself firmly in check, I turned to my companions. "I'm ready to move on. As I said, there's nothing for me here."

Edna and Sweet looked at each other and tsked-tsked. The air grew foggy once more, and this time when the fog cleared, we were outside Stephanie's parent's house.

Looking over at my companions, I wondered what we were doing here.

Edna turned to me with a smile. "Just watch, sonny."

Sure enough, a six-year-old Stephanie climbed out of her bedroom window and made her way over onto the garage roof. She had a Wonder Woman costume on, and she looked absolutely beautiful. In the yard below her, Val was playing with her doll. As if she was alerted by some miniscule noise as to what Steph was up to, she looked up and shrieked. "Stephanie Michelle Plum! Mommy is going to get after you good. You come down here at once."

Stephanie shook her head. "I'm going to fly. I'm Wonder Woman."

"You are not! You're a little 'Burg girl who's going to grow up and marry some 'Burg boy and have lots of babies and make Mommy happy."

Stephanie shook her head. "That's your dream. That's not what I want."

Her sister was no longer paying attention to her, though. She was racing for the house, screaming, "Mommy! Mommy! Stephanie's at it again! She's going to kill herself jumping off the garage roof."

The look of utter determination on Stephanie's face as she spread her cape and took a running leap off the garage was a wonder to watch.

Wincing as she fell to the ground and the crunch of bone breaking filled the now-still afternoon, I wanted to go and comfort her.

A man rushed out of the garage and moved quickly to pick her up, his voice almost crooning to her as he spoke. "I've got you, pumpkin. You're safe with me."

Stephanie looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I wanted to fly, Daddy."

He smiled as he wiped her tear-streaked face. "Looks like you did just that, pumpkin. Too bad that nasty old wind came and knocked you to the ground. Don't worry, Steph. You'll be flying again in no time."

The smile on her face as she laid her head against her father's chest was one I'd seen several times since I'd met her. Frowning, I realized it had been missing lately.

Edna gave a sharp nod with her head. "I lucked out in the son-in-law sweepstakes. He's a keeper." She turned to me. "Time's up. We need to get you back for your next gig."

With that, the world turned white and I felt like I was spinning out of control. When the world righted itself once more, I was back in my bed as if nothing had happened. My eyes narrowed as I looked at the bedside clock. Two a.m. Suddenly, there was a loud base beat coming from the other side of my bedroom door.

Throwing back the covers, I was vaguely aware that I was wearing only the sweatpants I'd gone to bed in. I grabbed a T-shirt this time before venturing out of the bedroom. If Steph's granny was back, I wasn't taking any chances this go round.


	3. The Ghost of Christmas Present

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as Janet's are hers, all other characters are mine. Thanks again to JenRar for her beta skills.**

**Ghost of Christmas Present**

Entering the den as my eyes scanned the apartment for the intruder, I heard muffed swearing from the kitchen and headed in that direction. When I saw the ass poking out of my refrigerator, I knew who the intruder was.

Her voice was muffled as she grouched, "What the hell? Batman got no food in this place. I don't eat no raw carrots and shit. That bus don't fly with me."

Leaning against the door jam, I folded my arms across my chest and waited for the interloper to retreat from the open appliance and turn my way. The screech when she complied had me wincing as she competed with the deafening base beat that was thrumming through my home.

She had a half-eaten chicken breast in her mouth, and her arms were filled with several other dishes that Ella had just stocked in my fridge earlier in the day. They were to be my Christmas dinner tomorrow, since Ella and Louis were heading to Newark to be with the family.

My eyebrow rose as I waited for her to speak.

Her eyes were darting all over the place, as if she were looking for a place to hide, but saw none. Speaking around the chicken she had a hold of with her teeth, she gave a fierce frown as she demanded, "Where the hell all the good food? There not enough in there to keep a mouse alive, let alone a big beautiful woman like me."

Uncrossing my arms, I strode forward and took the dishes away from her to return them to the fridge. When I went to take the last dish, she refused to let go. It looked like Ella had made my favorite flan as a treat for tomorrow. Narrowing my eyes, I gave her a look.

Lula squeaked, raising her arms up in the air. The chicken fell out of her mouth and landed on the floor at her feet. She looked down at it mournfully, her bottom lip trembling as she said, "Now see what you gone and made me do? That was a good piece of chicken, even though it got no grease on it. But it was working in a pinch."

Knowing I was going to regret this, I asked, "Why are you eating the food in my fridge?"

She plopped her fists on her hips and pulled herself up. "What? You saying I can't have a tiny little snack? After all, we gonna be gone a whole hour, and it's cold out there tonight. A girl's gotta have a little energy to keep her warm and all."

Shaking my head, I replaced the dishes in the fridge and lifted one of the protein bars off the tray where they were cooling.

Lula's eyes lit up when she spotted what looked like a normal, everyday cookie bar. She grabbed it greedily and took a huge bite, starting to chew it.

Mentally, I was doing the countdown from five. I'd only made it to three when she raced to the garbage can and spit out the food in her mouth. Grabbing paper towels from the counter, she started trying to wipe her mouth out with them as she was still gagging and said, "Ith! Growth!"

She turned to look at me, and from the expression on her face, you'd think I'd just sprouted a second head. A buzz sounded, and Lula jumped. Her eyes widened, as if she'd just been stuck with a hot poker. "We got to go. Time's running out, and I gotta make sure we make all the stops." She held out her hand.

When I just stood there staring at her, she shook her hand in front of me. "You best take hold, 'cause if that little guy zaps me again, I'm going to rip his face off, and then Santy won't bring me the…uhm…" She had the "deer in the headlights" look for a minute before she rolled her eyes and stage whispered, "Santa won't bring me the electrical toys I asked for."

Brain bleach. That was my only hope for erasing the image of Lula and her…electrical toys from my brain. Narrowing my eyes on her, I said, "No more talk like that, and I'll take your hand."

There was no fog this time. Instead, I was shrouded in darkness and there was a sense of floating through air for several seconds before I found myself on the fifth floor of the RangeMan building. From the look of the room, this was just after I'd told the men I expected them to adhere to the standard RangeMan orders on these types of decorations.

The little decorations that Stephanie had put out were being gathered up by Hal. I frowned as I watched him pick up each of the little trinkets and smile before placing it in the box he was carrying. For some reason, it bothered me that he was touching her things when she wasn't there… Of course, I doubted I would feel any different if she _was _there either and he was touching them. The sound of the elevator dinging just before the doors opened had him swinging around. Stephanie stepped off the elevator, and Hal paled, the box slipping from his hold. The crash as the box landed on the ground was loud in the otherwise still room.

Hal looked crushed. "I'm so sorry, Steph. Boss said to pack up all the stuff, and I was being so careful. I didn't mean to drop them."

The hurt on Stephanie's face was like a dagger to the heart. I wanted to rush forward and wrap her in my arms, but experience told me I wasn't really here and there was nothing I could do to comfort her right now. "He told you to get rid of my things?"

Shaking his head emphatically, Hal said, "No! Just the little decorations. There's a standing rule that no Christmas decorations of any kind are allowed in the main part of the building. Only in our own quarters."

"But they're just little trinkets. They aren't hurting anyone."

Hal looked as if he'd rather be getting his head bashed in by a skip at the moment. He shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, Steph. I'm just doing as I'm told." As he turned away, he grumbled, "Even though I'd rather be doing anything else right now than what Mr. Scrooge ordered."

Stephanie knelt down on the floor beside the box. Peering inside, she pulled out the shattered Christmas ornaments that had been hanging around her cubicle up until five minutes ago. It wasn't until she'd pulled out the Batman ornament that she reacted with a soft gasp.

Hal turned to look at her, concern written on his face. "Are you all right? You didn't cut yourself, did you?"

She shook her head. Looking down at the cracked ornament cupped in her hands, she replied, "Batman's broken. I don't think I can fix him this time."

Hal looked at the ornament. "Yeah. I think that one's beyond repair."

Stephanie's eyes cut to my office door as a tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away before gently placing the ornament back in the box and rising. She stood and moved to my door. I knew what was going to happen next—after all, I'd been there the first time when she'd come into my office. We didn't move to the office, though. Instead we remained where we were. Seconds later, Stephanie came rushing out of the office, lifted the box, and rushed through the stairwell door.

Lester moved up beside Hal. "What did you do, man? I've never seen Beautiful so upset."

Shaking his head, Hal said, "I don't think it was something I did. Well…I did accidentally break her ornaments…and she does seem overly fond of the Batman one."

The sound of flesh meeting flesh was loud in the stillness of the room.

Hal groused, "Why did you do that?"

Lester sent him a glare. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I think I should have hit Ranger instead. I have a feeling he's more responsible for her mood right now than you are."

Hal nodded in response.

Turning, I noticed that Lula was now holding the box of ornaments. I wasn't sure how she ended up with them when I'd seen Stephanie rush from the floor with the box in her arms.

"Seems a shame these all got busted up. She was real excited when she found that Batman one." Lula moved over to the elevator and pressed the call button. Nothing happened. She pressed it again. Again, nothing happened. When she pressed it for a third time and still no car arrived, she started stomping her feet and screaming. "No! No! No! I'm not taking no stairs in these killer shoes! What you want me to do? Fall down four flights of stairs?" She turned to me, a scary frown on her face. "Make them damn doors open, pronto!"

I lifted a hand. "You're the one that's supposedly in charge. If it won't run for you, I don't see what I can do about it."

She gave a big sigh and stomped to the stairwell door. Turning to look back at me, she said, "Hop to it and get the door. I ain't getting no younger."

I motioned to the box. "Do we really need those?"

She looked down at the items in the box. "They looked so sad back there on the floor, all broken to bits."

Although I said nothing, I silently agreed with that assessment.

As soon as we stepped through the door, I recognized the hallway outside of Stephanie's apartment. I moved to catch the box as Lula nearly threw it at me.

As if the action of my taking the box from her unbalanced her, her arms started pin-wheeling in the air and she went tumbling down the two flights of stairs to the bottom.

A moaning floated up to where I was standing, and then I heard Lula say, "I think I broke my ass."

She must have been wrong on that, because a couple minutes later, it sounded like a herd of elephants was coming up the stairs. Barreling through the door in rhino mode, she said, "Who done that? I felt myself being pushed. Who done that?"

Shaking my head, I moved toward Stephanie's apartment, Lula grumbling beside me the whole way. On reaching the door, she reached out and turned the knob. The door was locked, and I felt a small smile pulling at the side of my mouth as I thought to myself, _Proud of you, Babe._

Rattling the door, Lula turned to me and said, "Do you voodoo. It ain't working for me."

"I don't think it works that way. So far, I haven't been able to affect anything on these trips."

Her hands went to her hips and she leaned toward me. "Well, it's gotta work for one of us."

Maneuvering the box under my left arm so my right was free, I pulled out my lock-pick and went to work. To my surprise, I was able to get the door unlocked, and it swung open to reveal what was happening on the other side of the door. I set the box on the counter before leaning against it to watch Stephanie moving around her home.

Sniffling, she blew her nose with tissues before throwing them away and getting clean ones out to wipe her eyes. She stood up and moved over to where Rex's cage was. She opened the top and dropped in some treats. "Merry Christmas, Rex."

The phone on the table rang, and although she turned in that direction, she made no move toward the instrument. The answering machine picked up, and then I could hear her mother's voice. "Stephanie? I know you're there. Pick up. Stephanie! Don't you spoil this Christmas for me, do you hear? We both know Joseph is going to propose to you, and you know what I expect you to do. Don't you dare disappoint me _again_."

There was a click and then a sigh. "Hear that, Rex? You know what that means, don't you? What do you think? It's not like there are any other options open for us. Ranger doesn't even seem to want me around anymore. I know it's wrong, but I don't want to end up alone. I know we'll have to make concessions…but the truth is, I'm tired of fighting them. It's not like there's anyone who'll really care anyway."

Fists clenching as my eyes closed, I tried to get the look of desolation on her face out of my mind. I wondered how soon she would be marrying Morelli. He could offer her all the things I knew I'd never be able to. After all, I'd made that vow, and I knew what could happen if my enemies got a hold of her. I didn't want her to be touched by their evil stench. So… Now it was going to happen. She was going to finally have the life I thought she needed. It's what I'd always known would happen. After all, this was why I'd sent her back to him after that one perfect night. Question is, why didn't I feel better about her being safe in a life with someone who could give her everything I couldn't?

Turning away, I looked over to Lula. She was studying Stephanie's Christmas tree…if you could call it that.

The tree was maybe three feet tall, and there were only a couple of ornaments on it: a Wonder Woman and a Batman—similar to the broken one in the box.

Suddenly, the Batman flew out of Lula's hands and into the air before crashing on the floor.

Stephanie raced into the room, looking heartbroken at seeing the shattered ornament on the floor. A sob broke free and she sank to the floor, crying.

Moving forward to comfort her, I was frustrated that instead of being able to touch and comfort her, my hand passed through the arm I'd tried to touch. There was a look of utter desolation as she mumbled, "Now I have nothing left of him but memories."

Kneeling there beside Stephanie, I felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest and torn apart. Unable to catch my breath because of the pain, I lifted my head to the ceiling, wondering, _Why? What has she done that's so wrong, she has to feel this pain?_

Tapping on my shoulder had me turning with a narrow-eyed glare. Angry that I was being forced to stand by and watch her hurting and not be able to do anything about it, I snarled, "What?!"

Lula shrugged. "Don't bite my head off. You're the one with the rules. We gotta go. Don't worry. You'll see her one more time."

Reluctantly, I took hold of her hand, moving through the door, only to find myself at the top of the stairs at the Plum house. I was balanced precariously, but was able to stabilize my equilibrium. Lula, on the other hand, went tumbling down the stairs once again.

Arms wind-milling in the air once again, mouth going like a fish, and eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets, she demanded, "Whoever be doing that shit best knock it off, or I'm gonna get mad."

Giving her a puzzled look, I held out a hand to help her up.

Frowning, she accepted my hand, and I pulled her into a standing position. Moving closer to the table, she rubbed her hands together. "Mmm. Real food. One thing about Steph's mom…she sure knows how to cook." She moved forward, reaching for a chicken leg.

At that moment, the front door opened and Morelli entered with his dog, Bob. Bob barreled through the house and jumped on Lula, taking her down. He clamped onto the chicken leg and started shaking it to get it away from her. Lula had a death grip and was refusing to let it go.

No one else was paying attention to the dog. Instead, there was an expectant air as Morelli moved over to kneel in front of where Stephanie was seated. He pulled out a ring box, asking, "Stephanie Michelle Plum, will you marry me?"

Frowning at the lackadaisical way he was proposing to her, I knew there was nothing I could do. This is what I wanted for her. Happiness. A life where she'd be happy. Funny thing… I never thought it would hurt this badly to see her living her life with another man.

Looking into her face, I recognized the signs. She wasn't happy. There was no look of utter joy that all her hopes and dreams had just come true. Instead, there was resignation. As if she was accepting that this was the best she could hope for. As I watched, she turned and looked down at the broken ornament I hadn't seen her holding in her right hand. A single tear slid down her cheek as I recognized the broken Batman ornament from her apartment. The significance of the figurine wasn't lost on me, but if I acknowledged that then I'd have to give credence to how that made me feel, and that wasn't a place where I could go.

A low growl had me turning back to where Lula and Bob were locked in battle over a chicken leg. Thinking the dog was getting tired of their fight and was getting serious, I was a bit surprised to see the dog's eyes widen as he let go of the chicken leg and scrambled back beside me, as if he were looking for protection.

Lula smiled, gave a nod, and chomped down on the chicken leg. It disappeared into thin air. The leg she'd been about to devour was on the floor beside Bob, and the mutt lost no time in demolishing it.

Sighing, Lula struggled to her feet and said, "It's time to blow this popsicle stand. Let's roll."

Walking through the Plum's back door, I was surprised to find myself in my daughter Julie's bedroom. Sending a questioning look to Lula, she put a finger up to her mouth and said, "Just watch and listen."

Julie lifted her phone and punched in a number. The Batman theme played, and when the phone was answered, I heard Stephanie's breathless voice say, "_Ranger_?"

"Sorry, Steph. It's me, Julie."

"Oh, Julie! Merry Christmas. How are you doing?"

There were tears in Julie's eyes. "I'm doing. I miss my daddy. I asked Mom if I could go see him, but she said that wasn't a good idea."

There was silence on the phone as Stephanie seemed to struggle with how to answer her. After several seconds, she said, "I'm sorry, honey. I wish I knew what to say."

Julie's lip was trembling now. "Me, too. I heard Mom talking to Ron. She said she's going to make Daddy sign a paper so he can't see me anymore. What am I going to do, Steph?"

"I don't know. I wish I had the answers. Did you get the ornaments I sent you?"

Julie's face brightened. "I did! They're wonderful. Now I can hold them, and it will be like holding my daddy. Do you still have your set of Batman ornaments, too?"

There was a hint of something I couldn't quite put my finger on in Stephanie's voice as she said, "Unfortunately, mine were broken. I don't have anything left of Ranger."

The sound of a muffled sob came through the phone.

A worried look crossed Julie's face. "Are you all right, Steph?"

"I'll be fine." There was a sigh. "I'm getting married. Joe asked me tonight. He and my mother are thrilled."

"What about you? You don't sound happy at all."

"I won't be alone. That's all I can hope for, really. It'll be enough. It has to be."

The conversation ended as Lula held her hand out to me once more. After joining hands, we moved through the door, and I was once again in my own apartment. Looking around, I noticed there was no one else there. Shaking my head, I made my way back to my bedroom, where I crawled into bed. A quick glance at the alarm told me it was nearly three a.m. I closed my eyes, determined to get some sleep before the night was out.


	4. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as Janet's are hers, all other characters are mine. Thanks again to JenRar for her beta skills. **

**The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come**

Although my eyes were closed, sleep was the last thing on my mind. Unable to get the image of Stephanie's sad face out of my mind, all I could do was toss and turn. I hated seeing her upset and not being able to do anything to help her.

The sound of a clock striking three chimes had me sitting up in bed, scanning the room as I thought back to what the men had said earlier. Three visits, and the last one to come at three a.m. Slipping out of bed, I frowned as I found myself once again in just the sweats I'd put on when I went to bed. I hadn't taken anything off, so where were the rest of the clothes that I'd put on twice now?

Shaking my head, I moved over to the dresser and slipped on a T-shirt and the jacket that was there. Looking into the mirror, I became aware that the door was opening behind me and the barrel of a gun was slowing making its way into the room. Pulling my own weapon, I moved to the side so I wouldn't be visible to whoever was entering my space.

When Joe Morelli appeared in the doorway, my eyes narrowed and I demanded, "What are you doing here, Morelli?"

He whirled in my direction, his eyes going wide. "Ranger? What the hell am I doing here?"

I lifted one shoulder into a shrug as I narrowed my eyes on him. "If I have the story straight, you're the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come."

Morelli frowned. "How can I be a ghost when I'm still alive?"

I lifted the corner of my mouth into the semblance of a smile. "I could help you out on the becoming a ghost part."

His eyes widened. "Hell no! I'm going to propose to Stephanie…" He broke off as his eyes lit up suddenly and he snapped his fingers. "That's it! I did propose to Stephanie, and she said yes. That was…what, seven, no, eight Christmases ago."

He smiled smugly. Holding out his empty gun holster, he said, "Take hold and we'll get started. This should be fun."

Reluctantly, I did as he'd suggested, and the room went black, like the scene in a movie when they fade to black and then when the screen lights back up, the characters are in a different place. We were in Morelli's house—his living room, to be more precise. It was Christmas day, and Stephanie was seated on the sofa, while a little girl sat on the floor by the tree.

The child was a carbon copy of Stephanie as she'd been when she'd jumped off the roof and tried to fly. This child looked to be the same age, and her eyes were lit with expectation as she looked at the presents under the tree. "Can I open one, Momma? Please?"

Stephanie glanced at the watch on her wrist as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "Daddy should be home in just a few minutes, Alice. I know it's hard, sweetheart, but he'd be so disappointed to miss you opening your gifts."

Sighing, the child looked back at all the presents before resting her elbows on her legs and placing her chin in the palms of her hands. "Okay, Momma. But I sure wish he would hurry."

Stephanie smiled sadly as she pulled something out of her robe pocket.

Morelli nudged me with his elbow. "I have it all, don't I? Everything I ever wanted. Stephanie's my wife, and we have a daughter; my life couldn't be any better."

My gaze went back to the woman sitting on the sofa, and I couldn't help but think that she didn't look as happy as Morelli did. Then I looked down at what she was holding in her hand. It was the same Batman ornament she'd been holding at her parents' home when Morelli had proposed to her. She lifted the ornament and placed her lips against it as a tear slid down her cheek.

Suddenly, it was harder to breathe, and I felt like someone had reached into my chest and put a clamp onto my heart. It hurt to see her sitting there. In my eyes, she didn't look any happier than when he'd proposed or when she'd been in her apartment talking to Rex.

Morelli turned my way, ready to say something, but the sound of a phone ringing had him turning back to the two people in the room.

Stephanie pulled out her cell phone. "Hello?" The look of resignation on her face as she listened to the caller had me wondering who was on the other end of the line and what they were saying to put that look on her face. I didn't have long to wait, because her next words gave me the answer. "Joe, it's Christmas. Surely you can come home long enough to let Alice open her presents." Her eyes closed as she listened to the voice on the other end. "Yes, I realize you have an important job, but your daughter is important too." She looked over toward the child, as if she was checking to make sure the little girl wasn't aware of the conversation going on about her.

The corner of my mouth lifted as she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Tension was evident on her face as she replied to the voice on the phone. "Fine. By all means, stay at work as long as you want. I'm not making Alice wait to open her gifts though. As a matter of fact, we're starting right now."

My eyes narrowed when she reared back, as if she'd been slapped across the face. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down on it. Her voice was whisper soft as she said, "Do what you have to, Morelli." Ending the call, she dropped the phone onto the coffee table and turned to the little girl.

I could see the sadness lingering I her eyes as she put on a fake smile and unobtrusively wiped the tears from her eyes. "Guess what, Alice? That was Daddy, and he said for us to go ahead and open your presents."

Alice's eyes opened wide, but not with joy. They were filled with shock and hurt.

I wanted to shake the man next to me as he stood there with a dopey grin on his face as he looked at the picture of him, Stephanie, and the little girl. I elbowed him, and he groused, "What was that for?"

Motioning to what was going on in the room, I asked, "Aren't you interested in what's going on here?"

He shrugged. "We're happy. What else is there to see? This is for your benefit. After all, I get to live this life every day." He was smiling from ear to ear.

Shaking my head, I asked him, "Are you blind? They don't look happy to me."

Morelli shrugged. "Sure, every family has its wrinkles, but like I said before, this is the life I've always wanted. A wife and a child; although I wouldn't be adverse to Stephanie giving me a son, I'm okay with having a daughter. I have a great job—I got a promotion three years ago, by the way. Best of all, Stephanie gave up her job at the bonds office, and she doesn't hang around with you or your crowd. She stays home and takes care of the kid like she's supposed to."

Narrowing my eyes, I demanded, "Kid? Tell me you do know her name…"

Morelli frowned. "Well, yeah, sure I know her name." He looked perplexed for several seconds, and then the smile returned and he said, "Her name is Anne."

Now I wanted to slug him even more. This wasn't the same man that I'd known when I first came to Trenton. "Well, it does start with an A. But it's Alice, not Anne."

He smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead. "Yeah. That's right. I can never get that one right."

Movement by the tree had me turning once more to the little girl sitting on the floor. She was surrounded by brightly wrapped presents as her eyes danced with joy. "Which one did Daddy get me, Mommy?"

Stephanie pulled out a present wrapped with Santa faces, a smile on her face as she said, "This one, baby."

Alice tore into the paper until she got to what was underneath. The abject disappointment on her face as she looked at the box was telling. Apparently Morelli was as great at choosing gifts for little girls as he was at seeing how unhappy his wife was.

Joe was beaming. "Isn't that a beaut of a gift? I was lucky to find it. I just knew my little girl would like a Barbie Dream House. That's ten times better than the Wonder Woman helicopter Stephanie wanted me to get her."

Shaking my head, I wondered if he'd taken so many blows to the head that he wasn't able to see the hurt and pain he was inflicting on the two people that should be the most important people in his life. And the moron wasn't even here.

Turning to the man beside me, I asked, "Is this the only place we're going, or is there more to see?"

He seemed to shake himself out of the fog he seemed to be in and grinned. "Oh, yeah. We got more to see. This is just stop number one. Next up is half a world away." He held out the strap of his shoulder holster, and I took hold.

Once again, the world went black, and when the light returned, we were indeed half a world away. There was a sign in the ground that read: _House of Hope_. Moving forward, I ran my hand over the top of the sign as I looked around. This was the shelter that I'd had built. The village where we'd been held was close to here. My gaze scanned the area, and the house sitting there was everything I could have hoped for it to be. There were children running around, laughing and happy. Women were working in the huge garden that had been built to add food to the coffers of the village, as well as animals grazing in the pasture that would be slaughtered to provide food. For the first time since this had all started, I felt a sense of peace as I looked around at the good that had been done here.

Morelli waved a hand, indicating everything around us. "I don't know what the importance of us coming here was. I mean, they're just a group of village people." He broke into laughter. "Village People! Get it? It's fun to stay at the YMCA." Another laugh echoed forth.

I had no intention of explaining the importance of the beauty I'd seen in the scene around us. Instead, I turned my back and asked once again, "So where else do you have for us to go?"

Morelli shuddered. "It's depressing here. I'm looking forward to getting out of here. Take hold."

Wondering if he had always been like this and I'd just missed it, or if something had happened in his world to make him this uncaring of anyone else but himself, I took hold of the empty shoulder holster once more and darkness reigned. When the lights came back, we were standing in a living room somewhere.

Narrowing my eyes as I looked around, I recognized the home that we were now visiting. A young lady of perhaps sixteen to eighteen walked into the room and made her way over to the Christmas tree. A gasp was torn from me as sudden recognition of just whom I was seeing dawned on me.

Julie stopped beside the tree and lifted her hand to the Batman ornament that rested on one of the branches. Infinitely careful, she lifted the ornament and brought it close to her face. A bittersweet sadness descended on her face as she whispered, "Merry Christmas, Daddy."

Lights flooded the room, and Julie turned to see who had disturbed her moment alone. Her expression turned defiant as she lifted her chin in the air.

Rachel walked into the room, a bitter look on her face. "I wish you'd let me throw those ornaments in the garbage. After all, you know you'll never see him again. That possibility ended five years ago."

Julie reached out and took the other ornaments off the tree and gently placed them in her pockets. "I'll take them off the tree. Wouldn't want you to throw them out…accidentally, now would we?"

A hand snaked out and slapped her cheek. "I'm your mother, and you'll talk to me with respect."

Bitterness invaded Julie's eyes. "I can't wait till I turn eighteen. Then I won't ever have to see you again."

Rachel's eyes hardened. "No need for you to wait until you're eighteen if that's the way you feel."

I frowned, wondering what had happened between these two that their relationship had deteriorated to this point. I looked over at Morelli. "Did they happen to tell you what's going on here?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. Apparently, Julie blames Rachel because she never saw you again after the Scrog incident."

"So she got me to sign the papers?"

Morelli turned to me confused. "You never signed papers that I know of. You just aren't around for Julie to see, that's all. She blames Rachel for that. She thinks if her mother had let her come to see you on that Christmas…" He paused, as if he were lost in thought for a moment, and then continued. "That was the year I proposed to Stephanie. Anyway, Julie thinks she could have made a difference and things wouldn't have happened the way they did."

Confusion was apparently going to be a constant on this trip. Trying to make sense of what was going on, I asked, "What happened that Julie thinks she could have changed?"

Morelli's eyes widened in surprise. "That's right. I haven't shown you that yet, have I? Well, let's move on."

There was no question about it. I was going to have to beat the crap out of him. It was probably the only way I would get any satisfaction in getting the answers I wanted. Once again, the world turned dark, and when the lights came back on, we were in a cemetery.

Morelli led the way to a solitary grave.

I had a weird feeling as we neared the grave…a feeling like I didn't want to go any closer. Stopping in my tracks, I watched as Morelli took a few more steps. He turned, possibly to see why I'd stopped moving.

"You need to see what's there. You can't do that if you don't walk with me."

Shrugging, I said, "I'm fine where I am."

Morelli shook his head. "They say I have to insist on this one."

Rolling my eyes, I wondered just how he was going to make me if I chose not to move forward. As if whoever was behind all this took exception of my thoughts, I suddenly found myself standing in front of the grave I hadn't wanted to get closer to.

I looked at the date on the tombstone and took notice that the date was December twenty-fifth, one year after Morelli proposed to Stephanie. Feeling as if someone had pressed a dagger into my heart, I looked at the name on the stone. Ricardo Carlos Manoso.

I whirled on Morelli and demanded, "What happened?"

He shrugged, as if it meant nothing to him. "I was working a case that went south. The guy I was after kidnapped Stephanie, and you found her and went in to get her. They shot you five times in the chest, and the wonder of modern medicine was how you were ever able to walk out of there, let alone to bring Stephanie out. But you did. It was as if you were a man possessed. Your men took out the bad guys as soon as you and Steph were clear."

My hand lifted to rub at my eyes, and I was stunned at the moisture there. Feeling as if I were drowning, the only thing going through my mind was thank God I'd been able to save Stephanie. Fighting for control of my emotions, I nodded. "At least Stephanie made it."

There was a sigh from Morelli. "Yeah. But she was different after that. Don't get me wrong, our life is still everything I always wanted, but sometimes, it's like she's not really there." He shrugged. "All things considered, I can live with it." He motioned to his holster once again. "Take hold. We got a couple more places to see."

Doing as he asked, when light was once again restored, I found myself on the fifth floor of the RangeMan building. The place looked darker, for some reason. As we moved across the floor, I noticed the wall where the days assignments was posted. December twenty-fourth, eight years in the future.

A door opened.

Turning to see who it was, I caught a glimpse of a somber Tank stepping out of my office… Well, if I had died seven years ago, then I guess that would make it his office.

Movement on the floor had me taking another look around, and I noticed that Lester, Bobby, Cal, and Hector were also on the floor. It came to me why everything seemed darker all of a sudden. There was a coldness, as if all the life had been drained from the building and the men.

The sound of a cork being popped was loud in the otherwise stillness. Then there was the sound of liquid being poured into glasses. Bobby handed Tank a glass, and all the men raised their glasses in the air.

Tank gave a single nod of his head. "To Ranger."

Echoes of "To Ranger" came from each of the others before they downed the liquid in their glass.

Once the toast was over, Tank looked over the men assembled. "Let's get back to work."

Looking around, I saw there were no decorations up to indicate it was Christmas. I'd always thought that if the men had been left to their own, they would have every inch of the building decorated, just to see a smile on Stephanie's face. It was odd, but it hurt to see the men this way…more like the way they'd been before Stephanie had come into our lives.

Morelli nudged me with his arm. "Not a lot of emotion here, is there?"

Narrowing my eyes, I turned to him and stared.

Not getting the response he was hoping for, he shrugged. "That's okay. The last stop will give us all the emotion we need."

Suddenly, I wanted to be anywhere other than where he was going to take me. The world went black once more, and I knew I wasn't being given a choice in the matter.

I was surprised to see we were back at Morelli's house. Surprised, and a whole lot apprehensive. Instead of being inside the house, we were outside. Feelings of dread were strong as I looked up at the second story of the house. When the window opened, I wasn't surprised to see Alice step out onto the roof.

Beside me, Morelli beamed. "Isn't she a beauty? Smart as a whip too."

Not being able to restrain myself anymore, I hauled off and belted him one. "Can't you see she's in danger? Shit, man! That's your daughter up there. It's a tragedy waiting to happen."

Morelli shook his head. "The tragedy has already happened." He turned to me, tears streaming down his face. "The day she lost you."

To say I was stunned would be an understatement. "What?" was the only thing I could think to say.

"This is the life I've always wanted. A wife to stay home and put my needs first, and children I could show off when we went places. We're happy. You can see how happy we are, right?"

Deciding that he seriously needed help and was deluding himself, I decided to do what I could to protect the child. Unfortunately, the scream that rent the air told me I was too late. Alice's small body plummeted to the earth.

Stephanie came racing out of the house to kneel beside the too-still body of her daughter. The sound of a vehicle door slamming and running feet had me turning around to see Morelli racing toward the spot where Stephanie and Alice were.

Wondering how he'd gotten there, I turned to see the Morelli I'd been traveling through time with was still there, tears pouring down his face as he kept saying, "I have everything I ever wanted."

My gaze was suddenly focused on the empty holster that Morelli had been wearing. Thinking back, the only time I'd seen the gun was when he first appeared in my apartment. After that, there had been no gun. Turning to where Morelli was kneeling beside Alice, I saw his hand snake out and pull the revolver from the holster. There were two shots, and in a heartbeat, they were all dead.

I was sure the horror I felt was evident on my face when I turned to him and demanded, "Why? Take your own life if you want to take the coward's way out, but why take her with you?"

He turned to me, eyes unseeing, as if he were lost in his own little world. He smiled, then said, "Isn't that what you did? You didn't pull a trigger, but you condemned her to the life you chose not to live because of a vow you took. Well, we took vows as well. I was just fulfilling my vow."

Woodenly, I moved to where Stephanie's body lay. Sinking down beside her, not being able to take her in my arms, I covered her with my own body as I prayed to be able to fix everything.


	5. Christmas Day

**Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as Janet's are hers, all other characters are mine. Thanks again to JenRar for her beta skills. **

**Christmas Day**

Light was filtering into the room from the direction of the curtains at the window. That was the first conscious thought I had, quickly followed by the thought that I'd overslept. My eyes opened instantly, my gaze going to the alarm clock on the nightstand beside my bed. Although seven a.m. wasn't late to most people, to me it meant that I'd overslept by at least two hours.

Throwing back the covers, I slipped from bed before striding into the bathroom. Deciding to skip my workout this morning to minimize what I'd need to catch up on by rising so late, I stripped off the sweatpants I was wearing and stepped into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, I was showered and dressed for the day in my usual uniform of black cargos, fitted black T-shirt, black combat boots, and black utility belt complete with weapons. Tying back my overlong hair into a ponytail, I grabbed my black leather jacket and checked to make sure that I had everything before leaving the room.

Reaching the door, I hesitated. Moving back into the room, I went through to the gun safe in the dressing room. It didn't take me long to retrieve the object I was after. Pocketing it, I retraced my steps and headed for the front door. Too impatient to take the time to eat breakfast—I had a lot to do today and not much time in which to do it—I took the stairs, ending on the fifth floor.

Every Christmas Day, Ella took over the large conference room and set up a feast for all the men. It was the one concession I made to it being Christmas, with the proviso that no holiday decorations be used—only normal, everyday dishes and linens. That was where I was headed this morning. For one thing, there would be food galore there, and I could grab something that wouldn't take much effort to eat. My second, and infinitely more important, reason for heading there was because all my men would be eating breakfast there this morning, and if I was going to pull off the coup I was planning, I'd need all the help I could get.

Entering the room, I was in time to see Ella setting out the last of the dishes. I smiled as I watched her add the Santa and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers to the table.

When she turned around, she jumped guiltily, her gaze flicking to the objects she'd just placed on the table. She let out a sigh and went to retrieve them.

I stepped forward and took hold of her hand. "It's all right, Ella. They add just the festive touch that's needed."

Her eyes widened and she stood there frozen for a moment. Lifting her hand, she rested it against my forehead before asking, "Are you feeling well?"

Leaning down, I kissed her cheek, whispering, "I've never been better. I do need your help, though. I know you're heading to Newark today for dinner with the family, but I was wondering if you could brighten the place up before you go."

Surprise, hope, wonder…they were all words that would aptly describe the look on her face as she stood there looking at me.

Smiling, I nodded. "I'm serious. It's time to stop letting the past dictate my actions and live in the now."

Tears slid down Ella's cheeks as her hand lifted to touch my face. Her voice was barely more than a shaky whisper as she said, "Oh, my boy! I am so happy." She patted my cheek as her eyes took on a determined glow. "I have just the thing to liven this place up. Don't you worry. I'll have everything in hand in no time."

Chuckling, I kissed her cheek. "I have some things I need to take care of, but I'll be back here at eight for the special dinner you have set up for the men."

Whistling, I turned and walked out of the conference room, heading for my office. Stopping short before I reached there, I suddenly remembered the ornaments of Stephanie's that had been broken. Something Lula had said about Stephanie being so happy when she'd found them had me turning and walking the extra distance to Tank's office.

Knocking on the door, I didn't have long to wait for Tank's deep voice to say, "Come in."

Opening the door, I stepped through before closing the door behind me. "I need you to call Lula."

One eyebrow went up on his stony face, but he gave nothing else away.

Normally, I would wait him out until he was the first one to speak, but I needed to make sure I had everything in place, and time was running out. "Stephanie's ornaments were broken yesterday, and I need to find out where she got them."

Understanding dawned, and he smiled. That was quickly followed by a frown. "You're going to owe me for this one. Lula don't get out of bed much before eight, and every minute of sleep is precious to her."

"I'll make it up to both of you. Just get her on the phone." Turning to the door, I looked back over my shoulder at him as I added, "Find out where Stephanie bought the Batman ornaments and meet me in the garage in five."

On leaving Tank's office, I was in time to see Lester and Bobby heading into the conference room, along with Hal and Hector. Changing direction once again, I headed their way, catching up to them before they entered the room. "I need a favor, guys."

Four sets of eyes zeroed in on me, stunned expressions on all of their faces.

Rolling my eyes, I lifted my hands in a palms-up gesture. "What?"

Hector was the first one to regain his composure, but Les was the first to comment. "I guess it's true what they say about miracles happening all the time."

Narrowing my eyes, I suggested, "Easy. There's still that request that came in for St. Francis. It's not too late to change my mind and send someone."

Les straightened, as if someone had just pinched his ass.

The other three men were trying hard to cover up their smiling faces.

Hal stepped forward, a serious expression on his face. "What do you need, Ranger?"

"Come with me, and I'll fill you in on the way."

When we exited the stairwell into the garage, Tank was waiting beside the Cayenne. His gaze met mine as soon as I entered and a smile lit his face.

There was no time to lose. "Did you find out where she bought them?"

He gave a single nod of his head and told me, "Lula said they got them at the novelty store at Quaker Bridge Mall."

Nodding, I climbed into the driver's seat of the Cayenne. When the men just stood there looking at me, I leaned out the window and demanded, "Haul ass. We don't have much time."

The men scrambled to do as I asked.

Once we were under way, Bobby cleared his throat. "Uh…Ranger, are you feeling all right?"

My gaze went to the rearview mirror, where I could look at Brown. "That depends on if we succeed in what we're doing."

The tension in the vehicle was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Giving a sigh, I decided to tell them as much truth as I needed to in order to get them to understand. "Let's just say that I had a glimpse of a future that I wasn't too fond of, and now I'm doing everything in my power to make sure that version never sees the light of day."

Hector's face split into a grin. "You go after Estefania."

Grinning back at him, I nodded. "Yeah. I'm going after Stephanie."

As one, the five men in the vehicle shouted out their own delight at that announcement.

Normally, the mall was closed Christmas Day, but each of us got on our phones while we were in route to the mall, and the upshot was that the owner for the store we needed agreed to meet us so that we could get the items we needed from his store.

There was another phone call I needed to make as well. It took three rings before the phone was answered, and the voice on the other end had me catching my breath.

"Hello?"

The voice wasn't much different from the last time I'd heard it. "Hey, Julie. How are you doing, honey?"

I heard a distinct gasp and then: "Daddy? Is that really you?"

Even though she couldn't see me, I was so happy to hear her voice that a smile slipped onto my face. "It's really me. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!"

The sound of a woman's voice in the background asking who was on the phone had me tensing. From the muffled sounds, I was betting Julie had her hand over the mouthpiece in hopes that I wouldn't hear what Rachel was saying. There was the sound of a slight scuffle, and then a harsh woman's voice came over the phone. "Ranger? Is that you?"

My eyes narrowed as I wondered what she'd have to say. Memories of a conversation were at the forefront of my mind, but I knew there was no way I was going to just give in to her demands anymore. "It's me. How are you, Rachel?"

A rough sigh sounded. "I'd be much better if you'd answer your damn phone. I've been wanting to talk to you."

My eyes narrowed as I looked out of the front window of the Cayenne, noticing we'd reached the mall. I maneuvered the vehicle close to the entrance we'd be using as I continued the conversation I was having with my ex-wife. "I've been pretty busy. What did you need?"

"I have some papers that need your signature."

"What kind of papers?"

There was a slight hesitation before she continued. "We can discuss them when you get here."

Knowing what kind of papers she had in mind, I decided to see how far I could go if she thought I was willing to sign them. Of course, she'd learn soon enough that I had no intention of signing any papers. "I'll tell you what. I'll call Baron and have him fly up here with Julie. She can spend a few days up here, and when I bring her home, we can talk about the papers."

She was silent for a minute before reluctantly agreeing. "All right. I'll help Julie pack for a short stay. Are you thinking overnight, or a couple of nights?"

"Why don't we plan on a week? Then she'll be back home before school resumes."

There was a slight hesitation before she finally agreed. "All right. We'll be expecting Baron."

Disconnecting the call, I placed another to RangeMan Miami. No sooner had I hung up from talking to the man in charge of the Miami office, then the owner we were waiting for pulled up beside the Cayenne. Exiting the vehicle, I headed over to a man in his sixties, dressed in a Santa suit, who was getting out of the late-model Cadillac.

Holding out my hand, I said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Kringle. I really appreciate your coming out and opening your store for me today."

Kringle turned to me with a smile on his face. "Ho! Ho! Ho! I was glad to do it. When I heard your story, I knew I just had to help you make that little girl's day a happy one. Come on into the store. If I'm right, I happen to have just what you'll need."

Trouping inside after him, I noticed that the entire store looked very much like I would imagine Santa's workshop would look, if there ever was such a person. A chuckle from the man in front of me had me turning Kringle's way.

He stood looking at me, a set of Batman ornaments in his hands and a twinkle in his eyes. "One story at a time, son. We'll save this one for next year. Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Raising an eyebrow, I remained silent. There wasn't time to get into a lengthy discussion if I wanted to get everything done today. "How much do I owe you?"

Kringle shook his head. "No price. Just knowing she will have joy in her heart again is payment enough for me."

Feeling uncomfortable, I changed position slightly. "There has to be something I can do."

Kringle's hand went up to the whiskers at his mouth, stroking them as he seemed to ponder a problem. "Well… There is that gig at St. Francis this afternoon. I was hoping someone in the community would have volunteered, but alas, no one has come through."

Lowering my head minutely, I had a feeling he was talking about the very gig I'd threatened my men with. Taking a deep breath, I let it out forcefully. "All right. Hopefully I can get everything else done in time and get there by showtime."

I got a warm, fuzzy feeling when he laughed this time, as if my soul had been touched by the joy of Christmas.

He held out his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Manoso. May your Christmas dreams come true."

With a wink of his eye and a nod of his head, he turned back into the store and moved away. As if he'd had a sudden thought, he turned back and added, "You'll need to fill the red bag with toys for later. And you might want to add a few for the children you'll meet throughout the day." Lifting a hand, he waved as he once again turned. This time, he kept going till he was out of sight.

I turned to the guys. "All right. Let's get the bag loaded and get going. We have a lot to do yet."

Within the hour, we were back at RangeMan. Then the real work started. Ella had located all the boxes of Christmas decorations she had stored away through the years and brought them down to the fifth floor to ask the men to help her decorate. They'd made good strides in making the place more festive, but there was still lots to do. The five of us pitched in, and by lunchtime, the building looked nearly complete. For me, it wouldn't be complete until tonight, when I hoped to have my family with me.

Sitting down at the conference room table with the rest of the guys, I was just about to take a bite of the mouth-watering ham that Ella had made, when Cal turned my way. Scratching his head, he asked, "What changed your mind about decorations, boss?" As if he were afraid I'd change my mind once again, he hurried to add, "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

Looking down at the food on my plate, I thought about how to best answer him. There were no answers on the plate, but I knew I needed to be honest with these men that were so much a part of my life.

Swallowing hard, I lifted my head to look at my men. "I'd just returned to my unit after signing the papers to allow Ron to adopt Julie, and I was feeling pretty raw. My team had just gotten orders, and after taking out our target, we were captured. During the horror of those five weeks that followed…"

Unable to continue because of the knot in my throat, I swallowed again to dislodge it so I could continue the story. After reaching for my glass, I took a drink, which seemed to help. "We lived in hell for five weeks. During that time, each of us made a vow. Looking back, I know it's what we needed at the time to get us through that, but we were too young to realize the folly of what we were sentencing ourselves to."

Looking around the table at all the people sitting there, I shook my head. "Let's just say that my eyes were opened to just how stupid I've been. I only hope I'm not too late to make things right."

For several seconds, there was no response. Suddenly, as if all the men realized at exactly the same instant what that meant, grins broke out on all their faces.

I raised an eyebrow.

Woody let out a war whoop. "You're going after Stephanie!"

The corner of my mouth lifted into a grin. "Yeah. I'm going after Stephanie. What's more, Julie should be here any moment now to spend Christmas with us."

Vince raised his glass. "A toast. 'Bout time you got your head out of your ass, boss."

Cheers of "Here, here!" from the men echoed around the table.

Ella clapped her hands together and added, "You still have a lot to get ready. And we all need to keep our fingers crossed that she's willing to take you on."

Somber faces were once again prevalent in the room. Sighing as I nodded, I said, "Yeah. There is that."

A hand slapping on the table had us all looking in Binky's direction.

He grinned. "Anybody can see that she's in love with you. She only stays with the cop because she doesn't want to be alone. So, what's the plan?"

The mood in the room turned festive once more as I laid out my plan of action. When I finished, I looked around the table.

Binky fist pumped the air. "I'll get the sleigh."

Woody nudged him. "Everyone knows I'm better with horses."

The younger man turned to him, smiling. "But I called it, so you're shit out of luck."

The surprise on Woody's face had us all chuckling, and then the rest of the men were calling out the jobs they wanted.

Touched that they wanted to help me pull this off, I started to say something, but was pre-empted by Lester. "We love her too, Ranger. She's brought light into all of our lives, and we're all just glad not to have to live in the darkness anymore. She gives us hope that there's that special someone out there for us, too."

Understanding his message, I gave them one of the rare smiles I usually saved for Stephanie. "Thank you. All of you."

With that, the planning got under way in earnest.

At one p.m., Julie arrived. I was unashamed as tears slid down my face when she ran to me, and I hugged her close.

At two p.m., everything was in place. Ella and Louis had left for Newark to spend the rest of the day with the family, and they were going to let them in on the changes that were coming in my life.

At three p.m., Lester, Tank, Bobby, Hector, and Julie were with me when I walked into St. Francis, dressed in a red suit and white beard to play Santa for all the children that were stuck in the hospital on Christmas Day.

Those four big badasses made pretty funny Santa's helpers, but we all had a ball with the children. As I sat there reading the Christmas story about baby Jesus being born in a manger, I got choked up with the feelings that I was feeling for the first time in too long. I prayed that things would go the way I wanted and that when this night was over, I'd have the woman who was the very heart of me by my side.

My gaze went to a tiny little boy being held in the arms of his mother. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he said, "You were right, Mommy. Santa did 'member us."

Moving from my seat, I handed the book back to the Sister. "There's something in there for the children's wing."

She opened the book to where the check was resting, and her eyes went wide as her gaze flew to mine.

Winking at her, I made the comment, "There are some past payments included in that as well."

"Thank you, Santa. This will do a world of good for the children. And we can help so many more."

Nodding, I moved over to the little boy and knelt down. Looking him in the eye, I told him, "Santa will never forget you or how you have touched his heart."

Little eyes widened as I handed him a package from the bag I'd filled earlier in the day. His little hands moved with lightning speed to tear the paper off. When he exposed an angel tree topper, I swore silently that I'd given him the wrong package. He cried, "Look, Mommy. This is just what I wanted for you to have. Now if the doctor can't make me better, you'll know I'm always watching over you."

Looking at the woman, I couldn't help but notice the tears pouring down her face. Lifting a questioning eyebrow, I asked, "Is that a possibility?"

She nodded her head. "He needs an operation, and we have no insurance to pay for it. Our insurance company considers it an elective surgery and won't pay for it until he's reached the heart failure stage."

Frowning, I asked, "And how close is that?"

"We're within three percent of that stage. But by the time he reaches that stage, he might not have the stamina to survive. There was a woman from the company that came out and told us we should plan for his death, and she wanted us to take death counseling."

I reared back slightly as I took in her comment. I rested a hand on her arm as I told her, "Tomorrow, I want you to contact RangeMan security. Tell them Santa said for you to contact Ranger Manoso. He'll help your son get his operation."

She bit her lip, a look of hope on her face. "Thank you."

After passing out the rest of the gifts and directing three other mothers to contact me tomorrow, it was finally time to leave. Checking my watch, I saw that it was nearly five fifteen. I had just enough time to change and get to Stephanie's parents' house.

On exiting St. Francis, I noticed that Binky was in place with the horse-drawn sleigh. I changed places with him and drove toward the Plums' house. It was five thirty when I pulled up at the curb. Climbing out of the sleigh, I made my way up to the house. The front door opened, and Steph's granny stepped out onto the porch.

Leaning down, I kissed her on the cheek before whispering, "Are you ready for a show, Granny?"

She leaned back, her eyes twinkling as she replied, "If you're here to do what I think you are, then I am more than ready, sonny."

Giving her a smile, I winked and said, "Better make it a good grope, then, because it's the only one you'll ever get."

Her eyes lit up, and I shuddered as a bony hand pressed against my groin. Her eyes widened and she said, "Lordy! That's just the kind of stuff this family needs. Now you go in there and make my girl happy."

Giving her a mock salute, I did just that.

As if she had some inner instinct that a major kink was going to be put into her plan of marrying Stephanie off to Morelli, Helen Plum came barreling out of the kitchen and demanded, "Just what is going on here? How dare you come into my home and disrupt our holiday!"

We were joined by Stephanie and her father as they came to see what the commotion was all about. My gaze went to Stephanie, and I saw the look of hope fill her face.

Ignoring Mrs. Plum, I moved over so I was within touching distance of Stephanie as I knelt on the floor at her feet.

Stephanie's hand went to cover her mouth as tears shimmered in her eyes.

Taking her hand in mine, I started the speech that I'd worked out in my mind. "Babe. I need to tell you how sorry I am for the way I've been. I know you might not understand, but when I was younger, I made a vow about not getting involved in relationships. I was in a bad place when I made that vow, and when I met you, I thought I would be able to keep you safe if I kept that vow."

Closing my eyes to fight back the tears that burned the backs of my eyes, my mouth trembled as I continued. "I thought if I denied myself a relationship with you, my enemies wouldn't be able to use you to get to me. When Scrog kidnapped you and Julie, it seemed as if my reasons were reinforced."

Shaking my head, I looked up at her. "I know now that I was wrong. There is no way I can deny the love I feel for you, and I no longer want to deny myself the chance to build a life with you. I love you more than my own life, and I can only pray that you are willing to give me another chance."

I was vaguely aware that the rest of the guys had entered the house, along with Julie. Stephanie's eyes widened as she saw Julie.

Nodding, I continued. "I arranged for Julie to come and spend this week with me. After the holidays, it's my intention to ask Rachel for visiting rights. I want to be part of my daughter's life." I turned to wink at Julie before turning back to Stephanie. "I also want to be part of your life. But more than that, I'm asking you to be part of _my_ life. I love you, Stephanie Michelle Plum, with all my heart. Will you marry me?"

My vision was blurred by the tears in my eyes. Tears rained down Stephanie's face as she whispered, "If this is a dream, then I never want to wake up."

I held out the ring box that I'd retrieved from my pocket. "It's no dream. This is reality."

She touched the ring in the box with a shaky hand before she turned to meet my gaze. "I love you more than my own life. Are you sure this is what you want? It would kill me if you changed your mind."

Squeezing her hand, I told her, "It would kill me as well. I can't live without you anymore. No more secrets. To you and to Julie, my life is an open book."

Her mouth trembled once more as she reached out a shaky hand and touched my cheek. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

Standing, I took her in my arms and covered her mouth with mine in a kiss that healed us, body and soul. When we once again broke apart, I was aware that Morelli and Bob had joined the others. We turned to face the group around us. To my surprise, Morelli didn't look upset. Instead, he looked relieved. He gave a single nod before taking hold of his dog and walking out the door.

Helen's face scrunched up and she looked like she was going to say something, but Frank put up a warning hand. "Don't. It's time to let our little girl fly."

Remembering the present I'd gotten for Stephanie, I pulled out the wrapped ornaments and handed them to her. "Merry Christmas, Babe."

Julie grinned and added, "And God bless us everyone!"

Laughter rang through the house as I took Stephanie in my arms once again and we kissed with every fiber of our being.

**The End **

**May you all have a wonderful Christmas and the happiest of New Year's.**


End file.
